Dentists' perception of primary health care services in family health and mother and child health clinics in Alexandria, Egypt

Abstract

This study compared dentists' perceptions of provided services in Family Health (FH) and Mother and Child Health (MCH) clinics. A questionnaire was distributed to 120 dentists in 7 FH and 4 MCH clinics in Alexandria, Egypt in 2012. The questionnaire assessed personal and professional background, perceptions of primary health care (PHC) role, types of services provided, patient recall and referral systems and perception of service quality. The response rate was 100%. More FH dentists perceived their role to include providing care for children and pregnant women. Restorations and scaling were provided by 90% of all dentists. More FH dentists reported providing simple extractions, paediatric extractions and multi-rooted endodontic treatment (P = 0.03, 0.001 and 0.001). In FH clinics, where the performance-based incentive system was implemented, a greater number of patients was served and there was a shift in the type of services provided although dentists had a less positive perception of quality aspects. Thus, there is a need for the establishment of a mission and clear guidelines for the FH clinics to guide service provision. RÉSUMÉ La présente étude avait pour objectif de comparer la perception des dentistes travaillant dans des établissements de santé de la famille et de santé maternelle et infantile vis-à-vis des services offerts. Un questionnaire a été distribué à 120 dentistes de sept cliniques de santé de la famille et de quatre dispensaires de santé maternelle et infantile à Alexandrie (Égypte) en 2012. Ledit questionnaire évaluait l'expérience personnelle et professionnelle, les perceptions du rôle des soins de santé primaires, les types de services offerts, les systèmes de rappel des patients et d'orientation-recours, ainsi que la perception de la qualité des services. Le taux de réponse a été de 100 %. Davantage de dentistes des établissements de santé de la famille pensaient que leur rôle incluait la prestation de soins pour les enfants et les femmes enceintes. Les restaurations dentaires et le détartrage étaient offerts par 90 % de tous les dentistes. Un plus grand nombre de dentistes en santé de la famille ont déclaré procéder à de simples extractions, à des extractions chez l'enfant et à un traitement endodontique des dents pluriradiculées (p = 0,03, 0,001 et 0,001). Dans les cliniques de santé de la famille, où un système d'incitation reposant sur les performances était mis en place, un plus grand nombre de patients étaient traités, bien que les dentistes aient une moins bonne perception de la qualité. Il est donc nécessaire d'organiser une mission, ainsi que de mettre au point des directives claires pour les cliniques de santé de la famille, afin d'orienter la prestation de services. ‫مرص‬ ‫باإلسكندرية‬

Dentist availability in Egypt: a 20-year study of supply, potential demand and economic factors

“…It includes dental care provided through the family health model (34). Previous research showed that dentists working in family health clinics expressed concerns about the availability and affordability of services to patients (35). If the new law can reduce the financial burden to patients, and the accompanying restructuring of the healthcare system provides adequate financial incentives to dentists, the economic constraints affecting the shortage of dentists may be addressed.…”

Prevalence of Primary Tooth Extraction and Its Associated Factors Among Under-Five-Year-Old Children in Debre Tabor Town, North-Central Ethiopia: Community-Based Cross-Sectional Study

“…It is one of the malpractice that is accepted as an option of traditional treatment for sick children in African countries. [3][4][5] A study conducted in 36 African ethnic groups showed that (2.1%) of patients were missing one or more canines. The burden was higher in East African countries, of which, 20.8% experienced teeth loss due to primary teeth extraction.…”